Issue 17-152 Wholesale Sales

November 21, 2017

Sales by wholesalers (seasonally adjusted) in British Columbia fell in September to reach $6.5 billion, a 2.0% decrease compared to the previous month. The decline was broad‑based, with sales in all but two subsectors falling in the month, and led by lower sales in motor vehicle and parts (‑6.8%) and food, beverage and tobacco (‑5.1%) wholesalers.

Nationally, the value of sales by wholesalers went down by 1.2% in September compared to the previous month. The decrease was widespread, with five of the seven industry subsectors and eight provinces reporting contractions for the month. Among provinces, only Alberta (+0.6%) and New Brunswick (+0.5%) saw modest increases in wholesale trade in September.